A World Draped in Power and Desire
Releasing in 2018, High Society emanated the kind of intrigue a Korean drama about wealth, ambition, and forbidden passion would inspire. Directed by Byun Hyuk, the film promised not only steamy romance; it also made a bold statement about the intersection of class and corruption. From the first teasers, the audience understood that this would not be a regular melodrama; it would be darker, more erotic, and willing to discuss the elite cracks of Korean society. The Story at the Surface, and What Lies Beneath The film centers on Tae-joon (Park Hae-il), a well-respected economics professor, and his wife, Oh Soo-yeon (Soo Ae), a deputy curator at a prominent art museum. The couple emanate success and admiration. But Tae-joon, who secretly harbors ambitions for a political career and a National Assembly seat, and Soo-yeon, who is having an affair with the younger artist Shin Ji-ho (Lee Jin-wook), a little too glamorously, are not quite the perfect couple.
What results is a complex web of power plays, compromise, and betrayal. While Tae-joon gets deeper into relationships with major players who will help his political ascension, Soo-yeon morally compromises herself for her own emotional and personal freedom. At center High Society, there is a question of how much of ourselves we are willing to part with for our goals, and what value love holds in a world where everything is for sale.
Characters Representing Human Flaws
As much as there is Tae-joon’s external ambition, there is the inner conflict. For the part, Park Hae-il, who is highly regarded for his performances in The Host and Memories of Murder, and many other works for his delicate portrayals, was able to create that subtle fragility. While there are desperate, and rather extreme, calm exteriors, there is also a pondering. This is also a description of Park’s own philosophy of acting that he expressed through years of work in theatre and films. He voiced, rather than acting, the part of a leading man in a film and how in conflict he is with that part of his life, and really, that part of Tae-joon’s life fully encapsulates the complexity of craving power and resisting the costs that come with it.
Soo Ae’s performance as Soo-yeon carried the most emotional weight in the film and most importantly, the character’s complexity and emotional range. Throughout her long and successful career as an actress, Soo Ae has built an image of classic, understated elegance, but with this role, she stepped far away from her comfort zone. More than just a loyal wife, Soo-yeon is ambitious, psychologically conflicted, and ultimately, her unresolved and all-consuming ambitions serve to her detriment. In her interviews, Soo Ae expressed her concerns about taking this role as she was particularly unaccustomed to filming the bold and intimate scenes, but also saw it as an opportunity to break away from her long-held image of classic restraint and elegance. A film has a duality, and a film with bold scenes expresses a complex struggle. This film and role challenges an actress most, particularly when embracing a bold, modern role in a conservative film industry.
Lee Jin-wook as Ji-ho added an additional layer. This was one of the most audacious film performances of Jin-wook’s career, especially given the perception of him as a heartthrob in television. In depicting a character who possesses unrestrained youthful passion and is economically opportunistic, the actor directly challenges the ‘steady’ world of Soo-yeon. Coincidentally, and as some critics had noted, Lee’s character of an artist was also flawed and had a self-destructive obsession with regaining his lost ‘glory’ with a public that had recently become critical of him. In this role, he very convincing captured his own struggle.
The Anticipation Prior To the Launch
Prior to its release, High Society was the center of media attention. Many people spoke about the combination of Soo Ae and Lee Jin-wook, focusing on the promos that displayed some of their more intimate interactions. Fans speculated on whether the movie would criticize the Korean obsession with wealth or simply glamorize class obsession.
For Indian audiences that saw the trailers, the expectation was much the same. There are simmering public sentiments on the divide between citizens and elites, just like Korea. Caught between the glamour and the grit, Indian audiences expected to see Korea’s version of public sentiments that were vaguely familiar.
Performance and Reception
Upon release, High Society was well received and performed well at the box office. Many people were excited to see the more provocative acting of popular stars like Soo Ae. While reviews for the movie were mixed, many audiences found the portrayal of uncritical greed and desire to be a positive. Many felt the movie’s excess sensuality was at the expense of the storyline. The film was praised for its cast performances and became one of the more talked about films for the year.
What Occurred Behind the Curtains
There was drama being recorded for High Society. Byun Hyuk and his realism sought a more rich and extraordinary shooting experience, both rewarding and difficult. For the intimate scenes, only a few crew members were present, and both Soo Ae and Lee Jin-wook commented on the feeling of vulnerability. They emphasized on the extraordinary atmosphere of trust where the safety and privacy of each other were maintained, and where the authenticity of the scene was the only concern.
On the other hand, Park Hae-il was said to have difficulty with the scenes where, for Tae-joon, the moral conflict becomes even more acute. He is a dedicated actor, and is known to stay in character even off the set, which can pose a risk of emotional distancing from the set and crew during breaks. Other crew members also commented on the emotional support and kindness of Soo Ae, which was particularly noted during the dark and heavy shooting days.
Creating the museum was an unexpected challenge. To capture the authenticity of Ji-ho’s character, the production team worked closely with artists to create Ji-ho’s character’s displays, integrating his character’s conceptualizations with the actual displays. Some of the artworks even generated discussions in the Korean art world, with fans trying to decipher whether the art contained elements of the film’s lust and ambition subtext.
When Art Imitates Life
In many respects, High Society was the epitome of reality fiction, portraying characters with well-polished externals, only to reveal internal discord of raw ambition, mirroring the very struggle of the cast. The film was a disheartening scripted drama, made raw by the off-screen journeys of the cast—Soo Ae’s audacious attempt to break typecasting, Lee Jin-wook’s redemption, and the taciturn Park Hae-il’s strife with celebrity status. To many fans, the drama was more than betrayal. They made the connection to the socially corrosive elements inherent in their own societies, Seoul and Mumbai, and the disintegration of love and intimacy in the insatiable ambition for power.
Perhaps that is why High Society still generates discussion long after it first premiered, too. Its focus is beyond simply the scandalous affairs and class relations; the story is about the cost of wanting more and is told by actors that, in their own ways, were fighting the same battles that the characters portrayed on screen.
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